A nearly toothless man has been banned from his dental surgery for not showing up to appointments - despite the practice being a three-minute drive away.

Gordon White, 55, of Cox Row in Chandler's Ford, said he was 'shocked' to be told he had been taken off the NHS dental list at the Smiles Studio practice on Bournemouth Road.

He conceded he had not turned up to "two or three" appointments - and signs at the dentist's practice say that patients who receive two fail-to-attend or short notice cancellations will be deregistered and not seen again.

READ MORE: Toothless in Southampton demand dentists for everybody

Daily Echo: Gordon White, 55, was shocked when he was denied service at his local dentist practiceGordon White, 55, was shocked when he was denied service at his local dentist practice (Image: Newsquest)

But defiant Mr White said: "It was like being kicked out of a pub; I’m traumatised really."

He admitted his appointments were not for urgent treatment and said: “I had two teeth removed so I just wanted to be checked out to make sure my other teeth were okay.”

Mr White claimed 'back pains' were the reason he did not show up to his appointments at his practice - only a three-minute drive and a ten-minute walk from his home.

However, Dr Mahesh Nagpal from the surgery said: “NHS dentistry is facing an unprecedented access crisis, and every single appointment is at a premium.

“Patients who miss appointments take away vital capacity. So we – like most practices - adopt policies to ensure those who need care do not miss out.”

Daily Echo: Gordon White, 55, was chocked when he was denied service at his local dentist practice

Mr White said he had already started looking for another dental surgery.

This comes as local campaign group Toothless has called for a reform of the NHS dental system and held rallies in Southampton to ensure everyone has free access to a dentist.

At a protest late last year, Maureen, a 65-year-old school transport escort, told the paper she had been without a dentist for 15 months as many continued to go private.

Dr Ian Kendal, principal dentist at Oceana Boulevard in Southampton, told the Daily Echo earlier this year that 'dentistry is in a very poor situation to provide help for the gaps in society'.

He said: “It’s a double-edged sword really. Poorer people can’t afford the dentist and dentists aren’t able to help as much as they would like."